Others described as something rotten doused in cat pee. And yet others described it in ways that cannot be adequately described here.

Immediately, 911 was inundated with calls. The odor made it seem as if every natural gas line in the county had conspired to fail at precisely the same moment. Dozens of calls came in, from York city, to Windsor Township, to New Salem, to Jackson Township.

It didn't take long for emergency officials to determine the source of the foul odor

It was caused by an equipment malfunction at the Glatfelter paper mill in Spring Grove. Weather conditions were such that the odor wafted over a large portion of the county.

"Although all standard operating procedures were correctly followed and the malfunction was corrected in a timely manner, it caused an unpleasant odor in the community surrounding our Spring Grove, PA facility," the company statement read.